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Know Your Rights

The NYPD organized a citywide surveillance effort of Black Lives Matter protesters, according to nearly 700 emails obtained by an attorney.

01/17/2019

Metro New York

Nearly 700 NYPD emails show a large-scale effort to monitor Black Lives Matter protesters by undercover cops trained to take down organized crime, according to documents obtained by attorney M.J. Williams.

The emails also reveal that the department has held on their findings, including photographs of individual activists, nearly four years later, raising First Amendment concerns.

The Right to Know Act aims to deter NYPD abuse, help prevent unnecessary police encounters and requires that the NYPD be more transparent when interacting with the public. The Right to Know Act consists of two laws (in effect as of October 19, 2018).

For months, Mayor de Blasio has promoted that his administration will stand against Trump's racist attacks on immigrants and people of color. Yet everyday, these same communities are criminalized and targeted by the NYPD's abusive, discriminatory "broken windows" policing, a practice that is consistent with Trump's racist policing agenda by fueling incarceration and immigration enforcement. New Yorkers need concrete actions by our local officials to make our city a true sanctuary for all.

CPR members are hosting FREE Know Your Rights trainings across the city this Spring to empower New Yorkers with critical information about their rights. The trainings will provide attendees with an understanding of their rights during encounters with the NYPD, ICE and FBI, and tools to stay as safe as possible during these different types of law enforcement interactions.

Communities United for Police Reform continues to build momentum for community-supported police reform in New York that will have a lasting and substantive impact for members of our neighborhoods. Our campaign members are also leading and supporting critical efforts to advance justice.

The highly publicized NYPD brutality against Black athletes has brought fresh spotlight to hyper-aggressive policing and use of excessive force by our city's police department. But New Yorkers in communities across the city frequently experience this police abuse without the same response from City Hall and 1 Police Plaza. It's a reason we continue our work to make NYC safer by holding police accountable to all New Yorkers and advancing systemic reforms that can help end abusive and discriminatory policing. We are gaining momentum in our fight and remain undeterred by NYPD media announcements that seek to quell demands for real, lasting reforms rather than deliver substantive changes for our communities.

Over the past few months, we’ve been organizing throughout New York to take a stand against discriminatory and abusive policing and have been calling on public officials to enact concrete changes that would bring justice, respect and safety to our neighborhoods. With your support, we believe that we can AND WILL bring meaningful, positive change to New York for our communities.

The first step in protecting your rights is knowing them! CPR has developed a brief booklet to help New Yorkers of all backgrounds understand their rights when interacting with the police. Print copies are available through CPR member groups, or you can download it here.